Winnipeg Free Press

ABOVE THE FOLD: Essential reads for January 15, 2021 1 Code red shutdown likely saved 1,700 Manitoba lives: province 2 Manitoba is well behind Alberta and Quebec, where nearly all care-home residents have received a COVID shot 3 Tom Brodbeck: In pandemic politics, timing is everything

The City of Winnipeg’s business tax revenues are set to take a major hit as companies buckle under pandemic closures and financial losses. But Chris Graves, owner of the King’s Head Pub, said the city is shouldering only a fraction of the pain felt by business owners. Joyanne Pursaga explains how hard the pandemic will hit city coffers while local businesses remain curtailed:

Teachers, educational assistants and other school staffers will be able to jump COVID-19 testing lines to receive same-day results starting Monday, when high schoolers resume in-class learning after a month at home. However, the province has yet to confirm where in line teachers are on the immunization priority list. Reporter Maggie Macintosh has the details on vaccine eligibility: ... https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//province-launches-rapid See more

The Manitoba government has changed its plans for a vaccination "super site" for the North just days after it was announced after local officials argued the original proposal was unworkable. Some northern residents will still get their COVID-19 shots at Thompson's airport, but "Vaxport" will be less super than originally planned, providing injections only to residents of fly-in communities. Most northern residents will get their shots at the Thompson Community Recreation ...Centre, which is centrally located in the city of about 13,000. Reporter Carol Sanders has the latest on vaccine rollout plans in northern Manitoba: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//province-changes-thomps

Crushing caseloads and staff shortages at Manitoba’s medical examiner’s office are driving nurse investigators towards burnout, a situation that runs the risk of bodies being left to languish in morgues and families left waiting for communication. A reasonable workload for an individual nurse investigator would be 500 cases a year, the investigators say. This year, each investigator working in the unit had surpassed that figure by September before the surging COVID-19 death...s of recent weeks, all of which require an official investigation before the body can be released. The news puts a spotlight on another grim facet of a province struggling to bear the weight of the pandemic. Melissa Martin has the full story: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//medical-examiners-staff

Giant Christmas ornaments dwarf people out getting fresh air on Wellington Crescent on a warm Wednesday afternoon in November. (Photo by Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press)

While the weather forecast this week is offering a break from sub-zero temperatures, more cyclists are taking the pledge to hit the road this year, even if it’s covered with snow. Winter cycling has gone from obscurity to commonality in recent years. Much of that has to do with upgrades to the biking grid and the proliferation of "fat" bikes, rides with wider, stable tires, local enthusiasts say, but just as much has to do with the fact those riding during the winter no long...er feel quite as alone out there. Will you be pedaling your way through your pandemic commute? https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//sub-zero-cycling-spikes

Even as they battled a surging COVID-19 outbreak on their ward, nurses at Victoria General Hospital were asked to use regular surgical masks to treat positive patients or make do with a single N95 mask for their entire shift, leaving some to go hours without drinking water or taking breaks for fear of reusing potentially contaminated PPE. Melissa Martin spoke with nurses facing the outbreak head on: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//horror-story-after-horr

Another group of Manitoba physicians has gone public with an open letter calling out the provincial government for what they say is an inadequate response to the spike in COVID-19 cases.

A Winnipeg entrepreneur has scored a game-winner with his business building backyard ice rinks. Ryan Starkell, owner of My O.D.R., says thanks to the pandemic, business is so brisk, he's on a bit of a hiring spree to satisfy demand. With most other forms of entertainment shut down, customers are filling his Facebook account with requests knowing code red is in place until at least Dec. 11.... Reporter Kellen Taniguchi has the details on the slickest business model of the season: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//he-shoots-he-scores-573

Need a blood test? A Winnipeg doctor worries that patients who need lab tests will be left in the cold after Dynacare closed 14 labs across Manitoba, citing concerns about social distancing in smaller clinics. Dr. Ahmed Haleis said the last-minute closures will make it tougher for his patients, who are elderly, low income, or unable to access transportation, to get routine health care. Click the link for the full story: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//routine-tests-tougher-t

ABOVE THE FOLD: What matters most on October 30, 2020 1 Manitoba COVID woes can be traced to government's 'incompetent reaction': experts 2 Winnipeg region slapped with code-red restrictions 3 Dan Lett: Province's half measures won't stop COVID surge

With winter travel plans grounded by the pandemic, a growing number of Winnipeggers have found other ways to spend, much to the delight of some local businesses. Whether it’s as simple as a nicer winter coat or as extravagant as a hot tub in the backyard, shoppers are looking for ways to make the cold weather to come more tolerable. Reporter Malak Abas checked in with local businesses about the hottest items of the season: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//planning-to-stay-paying

Manitoba’s riding-lesson horses are out of a job during code red and the consequences of unemployment could be dire for some animals. While stables are deemed essential services under the current public health order, riding lessons, which are the main source of income for many barns, fall under recreation. Reporter Eva Wasney takes a look at how businesses are planning to pivot:... https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//saddled-with-problems-5 See more

On Monday, Manitoba posted 546 new infections the largest daily case count of the pandemic as questions mounted about the Progressive Conservative government’s ability to trace coronavirus contacts and contain the contagion. The spike in cases came just days after Pallister said in an interview with the national broadcaster that the province had caught up on all of its contact tracing investigations. However, according to the Manitoba Nurses Union which represents publi...c health nurses who are on the frontlines of contact tracing case investigations were still outstanding as of the weekend. Reporters Larry Kusch and Danielle Da Silva have the story: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//manitoba-breaks-daily-c

HEAD START: The news you need on Nov. 24, 2020 1 Premier Brian Pallister will hold a news conference on COVID-19 measures this morning 2 Nearly one-third of Canadians say they have gained weight since the pandemic began 3 A video posted online shows two fines being issued to a Church of God minister for violating pandemic restrictions... All this and more in your Winnipeg Free Press Head Start.

ABOVE THE FOLD: What matters most on November 23, 2020 1 Premier's contact-tracing claim discredited 2 Medical examiner's staff in crisis 3 Most Manitobans obeyed stay-home rule, data show

The complex history of Bistro Dansk boils down to an inescapable truth: you can go home again. The Danish restaurant has been a Sherbrook Street mainstay since 1976 and a member of the Vocadlo family since 1977, save for a forgettable period in the 1980s. It’s where Paul Vocadlo began his culinary career at age 14 and it’s where he returned as the new owner in 1988.... Reporter Eva Wasney captures the restaurant’s history and charm her latest: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//thanks-at-the-dansk-572

Mounting pressure from business groups could force the province to close loopholes in current pandemic restrictions and prohibit the sale of non-essential items in large retailers as early as this weekend, the Free Press has learned. The changes would include physically preventing access to non-essential goods such as clothes, electronics, books, flowers, accessories and other recreational items banned from being sold to customers in-store, or asking retailers to deny the...ir sale at the checkouts. Government sources and commerce stakeholders privy to internal deliberations say, however, it all hinges on whether Premier Brian Pallister will agree with Manitoba's chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin about those changes being necessary. Reporter Temur Durrani has the scoop: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//businesses-press-provin

A group of 18 doctors is demanding the Tory government impose an immediate provincewide shutdown to avoid a catastrophe that will result in an "appalling and pointless loss of life." In an open letter to Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minister Cameron Friesen signed by 10 other medical and health experts, Dr. Anand Kumar an intensive-care physician with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba said the time to act is now. Reporters Kevin Rollason and Ryan Thorpe have the story for you here: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//shut-down-now-doctors-t

Many children won’t be dragging home pillowcases filled with candy this Halloween, but the stomachs of polar bears and other animals at Assiniboine Park Zoo will be full thanks to a twist on handing out the holiday treats. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, zoo officials decided they couldn’t provide candy safely at its annual Halloween Spooktacular event in compliance with provincial public health orders. Instead, it is giving treats to their animals from Oct. 29-31. What kind of treats are perfect for polar bears? Reporter Kellen Taniguchi spoke with zoo officials about the festivities: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//pumpkins-for-polar-bear

ABOVE THE FOLD: What matters most on November 17, 2020 1 Businesses press province to close loopholes 2 Manitoba's contact-tracing force likely inadequate to stem tide 3 Sage Creek among city schools leaning on tents for outdoor learning

HEAD START: The news you need on Oct. 30, 2020 1 More pandemic restrictions are expected to be announced by chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin this afternoon 2 Members of the University of Manitoba Faculty Association are holding a strike vote beginning today 3 Service for winter-only Transit Plus users will begin today instead of Dec. 15... All this and more in your Winnipeg Free Press Head Start.

ABOVE THE FOLD: What matters most on October 29, 2020 1 Shut down now, doctors tell premier, health minister 2 Manitoba logs 193 new COVID-19 cases, one death 3 Tom Brodbeck: Alarm bells ring as contact tracing clock ticks on

The Winnipeg Free Press is hiring! If you are digitally savvy and searching for a challenging, exciting career in an award-winning newsroom, have a look: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/job-opport/572914461.html

Hello, Qaumajuq. Goodbye, Inuit Art Centre. The soon-to-be-completed addition to the Winnipeg Art Gallery focusing on its vast collection of Inuit works of art (the largest such compilation in the world) has a new name. Qaumajuq (KOW-ma-yourk or HOW-ma-yourk) is translated from Inuktitut, one of the main languages of the Inuit, as "It is bright, it is lit."... Alan Small has the backstory on the new name: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//inuit-art-centre-become

The D'Antonio family's grief is all consuming, and so too is the distress of knowing how their mother contracted COVID-19 at Heritage Lodge, a long-term care facility in Winnipeg. Maria D'Antonio tested positive in late September and died on Oct. 8. Reporter Jason Bell followed up with her family about their concerns about the Revera-run facility: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//something-fell-through-